Thousands gathered at the state Capitol in Albany more than 40 years ago to protest the takeover of Attica prison that left dozens dead.

Finally, the truth is closer to being told about what really happened nearly 42 years ago during the riot and retaking of Attica Prison.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, after prodding from this page two weeks ago, and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Friday signaled plans to move forward in attempts to unseal records in the state investigation of the bloodiest prison uprising in the nation's history. Forty-three people, including 10 hostages, were left dead.

While the families of the 43 people killed and the public could benefit from the unsealing of all Attica records, the focus is on two volumes of a 1975 report by Special Deputy Attorney General Bernard S. Meyer. He had been appointed by then-Attorney General Louis Lefkowitz to look into charges that a previous state investigation "lacked integrity."

Schneiderman insists that he had been working for the past year to find a way to release the documents, which were ordered sealed in 1981 by a state judge in Wyoming County. Indeed, the families of the victims and the public deserve the full force of New York's chief executive and its top lawyer to get to the truth.

The state Legislature, too, should get involved. For starters, lawmakers should view the documentaryCriminal Injustice: Death and Politics at Attica, which local filmmaker Chris Christopher will show at the Capitol on Monday.

State lawmakers such as Assemblyman David Gantt and state Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer also should sponsor legislation that would authorize the unsealing of the Attica papers. Though it took nearly 30 years, Congress in 1992 authorized the unsealing of the Kennedy Assassination papers.

The documentary raised troubling questions that have been talked about for decades. High on the list is whether Elliott "L.D." Barkley of Rochester, the spokesman for inmates during the uprising, was murdered by state troopers. Then there's speculation that former Gov. Nelson Rockefeller may have ordered state troopers to retake the prison to boost his chances to become President Richard Nixon's runningmate in 1972. And there are theories that former Gov. Hugh Carey may have acted to cover up official wrongdoing when he issued a blanket amnesty for all involved in the uprising in 1976.